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Re: First time mom, day 6, milk not coming in...help!

Way to keep going! You sound very dedicated!
After both deliveries my milk took 5 days to come in. The first time, there was no good reason for it. The second time I had been on bedrest and meds and had preemies, so that probably had something to do with it.
We used the SNS with the twins. I used formula/pumped breastmilk in combo until I had enough milk to do without the formula. It was a bit difficult to use at first, but the babies really responded to getting nourishment from my breast, even if it wasn't directly out of my breast.
I'm glad you're going to see a consultant. They'll be able to give you lots more options/methods.
Hang in there! It's so worth it once you get there!

Re: First time mom, day 6, milk not coming in...help!

I just want to second/third the encouragement. I had "supply issues" early on - my milk was slow coming in/baby ended up in the hospital for jaundice, lost too much weight, etc. We ended up supplementing, but I eventually was able to produce enough to fill his needs entirely, and even donated over 100 oz to a milk bank. It was hard work to "wean him off the formula", but well worth it. Keep up the good work.

Re: First time mom, day 6, milk not coming in...help!

Re: First time mom, day 6, milk not coming in...help!

Thank you all for all your support, it means alot!! I'm not giving up, this is to important to me. I suppose we all have our difficulties at some point, mine could be worse...
I wil keep you all posted, and thanks again.
Abbie237

Re: First time mom, day 6, milk not coming in...help!

When I pump after feeding, I get very little, like maybe a few drops. This was the advice of what I should do in prep for my appt on Monday. I pumped a couple of times before, once I got about an ounce, the second time about a quarter of an ounce. The color is always the same, skim milky in texture and white with a yellowy tinge to it.

Okay, you are definitely making SOME milk then. Some women find their milk comes in very gradually and they never experience that sudden-onset of fulness or engorgement that other mothers describe.

The fact that you do have some milk is an excellent sign. It could just be that you'll need to put in some extra nursing and pumping for a week or two to boost it and you'll be good to go. I hope that's the case!

I breastfed him in her office, and weighed him before an after, and he actually lost weight between feedings, like half an ounce.

Was the baby completely naked for both weigh-ins?

I have been using the Medela pump in style- not the advanced version.

You may have better luck increasing your supply with a hospital-grade pump. Hospital-grades are for bringing in a milk supply. The Medela PIS and similar pumps are more for maintaining a pre-established supply. Something to ask the LC about tomorrow.

Please keep us posted! Good luck!
Jen

"Mothers are designed to be available to their babies--to help them make the transition into this big, wide world. To teach them to trust, and love, and feel good about being alive."

Re: First time mom, day 6, milk not coming in...help!

Abbie,
I had a textbook pregnancy, labor and delivery as well and it took almost two weeks for my milk to come in and even at that point, the baby was nursing nonstop to the point of my exhaustion so we would usually just supplement with a bottle just to be able to put ds down for a short while so that I could use the restroom, eat something, take a shower, etc. If I wasn't nursing, I was pumping, it took me a full week after my son was born for me to able to pump an ounce. In hindsight, I would have tried to relax more and just go with the flow. I nursed for the first four months until work, pumping and supplementing got to be too much for me at the time, plus it was my first time breastfeeding. From the time I stopped nursing until he was about 10 months old I regretted the decision to stop trying. I guess I don't have any advice to offer except moral support, just keep working with your beautiful baby. If you get exhausted and frustrated, try not to be too hard on yourself, you are doing a wonderful thing.

Moreover, listen to the advice of the ladies on this website. You can purchase almost anything they recommend online and have it delivered to your door. The supplemental nurser is the one item I wish I would have known about early on. I think the physical contact with mom is just as important as the milk itself.